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	sick betta :( *bloated, help needed quickly
terranova Fish Master Posts: 1984 Kudos: 1889 Votes: 229 Registered: 09-Jul-2003	I came home from the city today to find my male betta acting lethargic, bloated, not building a bubble nest, and losing coloring. Plus, he has been eating well if at all for the past couple days. I'll post a picture soon, if it'll help at all. Any ideas? I'd hate to lose the little guy, he's my first and only betta. All help is appreciated greatly. [span class="edited"][Edited by ferretfanatic 2004-08-07 13:53][/span] -Formerly known as the Ferretfish
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:36
Big Fish Posts: 343 Kudos: 351 Votes: 14 Registered: 18-Aug-2003	Hey, you probably should be posting posts like this in the hospital. To get things started, however, how big is his tank? What are the water parameters? What are you feeding him? How old is he? How often do you change his water?
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:36
terranova Fish Master Posts: 1984 Kudos: 1889 Votes: 229 Registered: 09-Jul-2003	I've had him since late march/early April. He's in a 2.5 gallon tank and I don't usually test his water. The tank is filtered and he gets 50% water changes every week. HTH -Formerly known as the Ferretfish
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:36
garyroland ---Prime Fish--- Posts: 7878 Kudos: 4010 Votes: 103 Registered: 31-Dec-2001	We tackle that problem almost every day in this Forum... Seems like we have an epidemic of bloat in Bettas lately, a sign of bacterial infections or massive constipation. A Betta that will not eat is difficult to treat with the usual squashed green peas for constipation. If the scales start to pine cone then of course Dropsy, a fatal disease, is the culprit with no known cure. --garyroland.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:36
terranova Fish Master Posts: 1984 Kudos: 1889 Votes: 229 Registered: 09-Jul-2003	Yeah I tried the peas but no such luck. Is there a treatment for bloated betta? -Formerly known as the Ferretfish
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:36
garyroland ---Prime Fish--- Posts: 7878 Kudos: 4010 Votes: 103 Registered: 31-Dec-2001	Your not supposed to eat the peas, the Betta is... (Awful joke) A diet change with something oily like frozen brine shrimp, tiny bits of salmon, etc. If the fish won't eat there's not much one can do. In cases where they can eat, an antibiotic, Gentamycin, can be mixed in with their food to attack any internal infection --garyroland. [span class="edited"][Edited by garyroland 2004-08-07 20:33][/span]
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:36
Big Fish Posts: 343 Kudos: 351 Votes: 14 Registered: 18-Aug-2003	The same thing happened to my mum's fish. Cory Di suggested an epsom salt bath. I made a post about it ages ago if you want to look it up. It helped, and the fish got a lot betta. But we were just guessing constipation was the cause of the illness. You may also want to try switching foods as gary said. Also, Hikari BioGold have epsom salts in them to prevent constipation. I have only ever used them as the main source of food for my boys and have never had any trouble.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:36
garyroland ---Prime Fish--- Posts: 7878 Kudos: 4010 Votes: 103 Registered: 31-Dec-2001	Epsom salt baths are notorious for stressing an already stressed sick fish... The result is sometimes fatal. --garyroland.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:36
Big Fish Posts: 343 Kudos: 351 Votes: 14 Registered: 18-Aug-2003	Sorry, I didn't put in that it was a last resort. The fish hadn't eaten for ages and looked like it was about to die anyway. And it worked. And it worked for CoryDi's Bubba too.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:36
boil Enthusiast Posts: 201 Kudos: 420 Votes: 28 Registered: 19-Dec-2003	i would listen to garyroland on this one. He knows alot about this stuff
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:36
garyroland ---Prime Fish--- Posts: 7878 Kudos: 4010 Votes: 103 Registered: 31-Dec-2001	I find it very difficult to believe Epsom salts will bring fish back from the brink of death... Epsom salt: "A bitter colorless or white crystalline salt MgSO47H2O that is a hydrated magnesium sulfate with cathartic (purging or tending to purge) properties." Named after Epsom, England. --garyroland. [span class="edited"][Edited by garyroland 2004-08-09 09:09][/span]
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:36
terranova Fish Master Posts: 1984 Kudos: 1889 Votes: 229 Registered: 09-Jul-2003	Well Hikari is my main betta food anyway. He would never eat anything cheaper. Unfortunately he passed on sometime in the middle of the night. Do you think the tank needs to be "desanitized" before another betta moves in, or was the disease not contagious. -Formerly known as the Ferretfish
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:36
Veteric Big Fish Posts: 376 Kudos: 549 Votes: 7 Registered: 19-Apr-2004	with something as small as a beta bowl, its worth the few minutes it takes if the beta dies for any reason at all.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:36


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